While the present invention is particularly applicable for use in connection with diesel engines and, therefore, much of the description will relate to diesel engines, the present invention has much broader applications in that it can be used in connection with non-diesel engines including gasolene engines and other internal combustion engines. Further, the present invention can be used in connection with virtually all internal combustion engines regardless of how the engine is used. In this respect, while due to Federal regulations the present invention is particularly applicable for use with vehicle engines, the invention can be used in connection with other internal combustion engine applications including but not limited to construction equipment and generators.
It is, of course, well known that fluids or liquids and gasses or vapors can pass from the combustion chambers of an internal combustion engine under a misfire or a lost energy situation and enter the crankcase of the engine. This can occur during both the compression of the fuel-air mixture and during the combustion of the fuel-air mixture. In this respect, during the compression stroke of the piston, a portion of the fuel-air mixture can bypass the piston rings and enter the crankcase. In similar fashion, during the exhaust cycle, exhaust gases can also bypass the piston rings and enter the crankcase. The crankcase houses the majority of the engine oil reserve. These gasses are referred to as “blow-by” gasses and they mix with the engine oil in the crankcase due to the high speed churning action of the crankshaft and connecting rods. Further, the high turbulence created by the turning crankshaft and connecting rods creates pressure. This pressure within the crankcase must be relieved or the engine will self-destruct. However, relieving or balancing this pressure requires a fluid flow of all the unburned and exhaust gasses to exit the crankcase. The gasses exiting the crankcase of the engine are under pressure which creates a drafting affect that draws engine oil up and out the crankcase. In addition, the churning action discussed above also mixes the engine oil with the gasses in the fluid flow exiting the crankcase. As a result, the fluid flow flowing out of the crankcase includes a substantial amount of engine oil.
In some engines, the fluid flow is allowed to exit the engine by way of a “blow-by tube” wherein the fluid flow is passed directly into the environment. This mixture includes heavy pollutants and most all diesel engines operate today with an open “blow-by tube” allowing this fluid flow to escape directly into the environment.
In order to minimize the environmental impact and to meet stricter governmental regulations, positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) systems have been developed which recycle these “blow-by” gasses back into the induction system of the engine. As a result, at least a portion of the “blow-by” fluids is burned during the combustion of the fuel-air mixture. However, while the PCV system reduces the environmental impact of the fluid flow from the crankcase, it does not prevent all pollutants from escaping to the environment and it has adverse effects on the engine itself. In this respect, reintroducing the “blow-by” material into the engine, by way of the induction system, reduces the performance of the engine, creates unwanted deposits on the working components of the engine thereby reducing the life of the engine and has an adverse effect on the emission control system of the vehicle. The burning of all “blow-by” material can also limit the types of emission systems that can be used on the vehicle. And even further, these existing PCV systems do not function with diesel engines.